<><><>
“You do want to continue being Vallen, do you not?” Tatiana said in her sweetest voice. She didn’t think it would sit very well with the man who was slouching against the wall next to her if she used a threatening tone. Jack the Lad wasn’t the type to be scared or intimidated by anyone. She had to respect that. What she didn’t like was the dark, dirty ally where she had finally run him to the ground.
“What do ye want? I know ye’re not going to just let me go with a rap on my wrist and tell me not to do it again.”
“I have a job for you and your... cronies,” she admitted.
“Won’t get caught? I’m adverse to spending any sort of time as a guest o’the crown.”
Tatiana couldn’t help but smile. “You won’t get caught, I can absolutely assure you of that.”
Jack raised one eyebrow. “Ye sound awfully certain.”
“I am. Now you run along and bring back as many men as you can to help you—ten or fifteen should do the trick. I’ll wait right here.” Not happily, but she would do what must be done.
Jack stood up. “Ten or fifteen? Where do ye think I’m going to find that many blokes to help me out?”
“I’m certain you have at least twice that many you could rally around you at a moment’s notice.”
Jack slouched back against the wall, a small smile played momentarily on his lips. “They’re gonna have to get paid.”
Tatiana hadn’t considered that. Well, she didn’t care. It would be worth it—this was her future security she was planning for. “I will take care of that once the job is done.”
“An’ just what job is it that ye want done?”
“I need someone killed.”
She paused to let that sink in, but Jack didn’t even flinch.
“A powerful Vallen so it may take a number of you to overwhelm him.”
Jack thought about this for a moment. “An’ we won’t get caught? A group o’ten men attacking one bloke and beating him to death, and ye think we won’t get caught?”
The unspoken question that hovered on Jack’s lips was when she was going to be taken off to Bedlam. But Tatiana just laughed. “Who said anything about ten men. I was thinking a pack of wolves—hungry, blood–thirsty wolves. Who knew they roamed through Hyde park at night?”
Jack’s eyes narrowed, and then one side of his mouth quirked up, just a little. “Ye can do that?”
Tatiana simply inclined her head with a knowing smile.
With a laugh and a mutter of “I’ve gotta see this”, Jack pushed himself off the wall and went to fetch his men.
<><><>
The more she thought about it, the more unpalatable it became. Lord Devaux would never let her out of this house to attend parties. Who was she kidding? And even if he did, how could she ever forget Morgan?
As her mind wandered the past few weeks the pain clutching at Adriana’s heart hurt so much she could barely breath.
What was she going to do? How could she live with this? Without him?
A quiet knock at her door interrupted her thoughts. Hastily, she wiped away the tears. “Come in,” she called.
Henrietta slipped through the door. Her eyes were red, as if she had been crying too.
Adriana hopped out of her chair. “What is wrong? Henrietta?”
Her dearest companion sniffed, dabbing at her eyes with a sodden handkerchief. “I can’t do it, Adriana. I am so sorry!”
“Can’t do what? Henrietta, what is wrong?” She pulled her friend to her bed where they could both sit, side by side.
Henrietta took a moment to compose herself and then said. “I lied to you, Adriana, and I just can’t live with myself for doing so. I must tell you the truth.”
Adriana stopped and waited.
After another deep breath, Henrietta continued. “Mr. Vallentyn. He didn’t set aside your painting as I told you.”
Still Adriana waited, her heart beginning to beat faster in her chest.
“He looked at it and he, he loved it. He was thrilled that you had thought of him. He said that the painting meant as much to him as you did.” Henrietta paused and looked down at her hands. “I’m so sorry I lied to you. It’s just that I love you, and I don’t want you to leave.” Bringing her eyes back up to Adriana’s again she said, “You are going to leave now, aren’t you?”
Adriana took the breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. With a start, she realized that her companion was absolutely right. She was going to leave now. She had to. There was nothing for her here and she needed Morgan. Like air, she needed him to live.
She reached out and gave Henrietta’s hands a squeeze. “Yes, but I will send for you. As soon as I am settled—I don’t know where or how, whether I’m going to be with Morgan or on my own, but as soon as I can, I will write and you’ll come join me.”
Henrietta broke down again, sobbing and shaking her head. “You are too good, Adriana. After I lied to you...”
“But you came and told me the truth, Henrietta. It’s all right. You told me and it was exactly what I needed to hear. Thank you.”
<><><>
“Adriana?” Morgan began to rush down the path the few yards that separated him from the young woman coming toward him.
She stopped as he approached. “Morgan!”
“Adriana, I was just coming to see you.”
“You were?”
Was that a hopeful note in her voice? Morgan glanced around them. There was no one else about.
It was a beautiful summer night. The nearly full moon shone brightly overhead and the fresh scent of the park all around them made Morgan feel secure—it was almost like being at home in the woods at Vallentyn. All in all, it really wasn’t such a bad place to propose marriage, he thought after considering it for hardly a moment.
But now that it came to the sticking point, could he actually propose? It didn’t even take a heartbeat to decide. Absolutely, yes! He loved Adriana. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with her, no matter what was coming his way.
He dropped down onto one knee and took her free hand in both of his. “Adriana, would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?” he said without preamble.
The words were barely out of his mouth, the surprise at what he was saying barely registering on her face when he heard a snarl. Pain exploded in his shoulder. Adriana screamed and let go of his hand, staggering backwards. Morgan hardly knew what was happening.
Pain came from every part of his body, as if it was being torn apart. He forced his eyes open again. All around him wolves were tearing, biting and circling him.
He was completely surrounded, but it was his terror for Adriana’s safety that rushed through him. “Run, Adriana, run!” he screamed out, even as he began to struggle against the beasts that circled him.
They were trying to rip and shred every part of him. Morgan was overwhelmed by the pain in his own body, and the anger and hunger for blood coming from the animals. He could barely think. He fought the instinct to blast them all with a shot of magic. He could hurt them, possibly kill them—he didn’t want to do that. There had to be a reasonable explanation for the sudden attack.
He’d always had some ability to communicate with animals, but trying to concentrate now was nearly impossible. Morgan reached inside of himself, forcing the pain aside to concentrate enough to communicate with the wolves.
Reaching out with his mind, he said “Stop! Why are you hurting me?”
“Kill! Die!” was the only response he got back.
They were single minded in their goal. There was no worry of territory or harm being done to them. They all just had the one idea in their minds—to kill him.
The animal on his right bit down harder on his arm, making it impossible to defend himself. Another latched on to his left shoulder while a third attacked his body. Wolves were everywhere. For a moment all Morgan could do was to keep his own panic at bay so that he could think of a way out of this.
As he lay there, someth
ing whizzed by his head and the wolf attached to his shoulder let go with a whine. The other pulling at his arm did the same as Morgan caught sight of Adriana wielding a large stick.
“No!” he tried to yell out, but it was too late. She was knocked to the ground as three wolves piled on to her, snarling and biting.
Adriana’s screams snapped something inside of him and Morgan let go of the burst of power he’d been holding back. The wolves attacking him all flew backwards. Taking only a moment to regain his feet, he sent those attacking Adriana tearing off into the bushes. Standing over Adriana, he dared the animals to come back and try attacking them again.
A few of them slunk around, eyeing them hungrily, but not one dared to approach.
Blood dripped along his arm as he reached down to help Adriana up. Shaking, but amazingly not in tears, Adriana stood up and clung to him. A quick calculation of exactly where they were in the park and what their reception would be depending on where they went, Morgan turned around and headed back toward his boarding house, his arm tightly holding Adriana to his uninjured side.
As they limped along slowly, Morgan could hear the animals following them. He stopped. Releasing Adriana, he turned around sending out a message to the animals, “Do not dare to attack again. I can kill you, easily.”
They stopped following them after that.
<><><>
Slowly, Adriana became aware of her surroundings. She felt as if she had been asleep and had had the most terrible nightmare. She knew she hadn’t, and she knew that it hadn’t been a dream. The pain was much too real.
A man was just finishing up binding the wound on her arm. “There you go, Miss, you’re going to be just fine, now.”
She didn’t know who he was. Had she been introduced to him? Was he Morgan’s valet? He had the look of one.
“Thank you, Mr...?”
“Nestor, Miss. Just Nestor is fine.”
“Thank you, Nestor. You are Mr. Vallentyn’s man servant?”
“What? No, Adriana, Nestor’s my friend.” Morgan said through clenched teeth.
Adriana twisted to see Morgan sitting on the bed behind her. While she was sitting in a worn, but comfortable chair by the fire with Nestor on a small stool at her feet. Morgan was on the bed just a few feet behind her with an older woman focusing intently on his bare shoulder.
Was she? Oh, yes, she was! Adriana swallowed a sudden rush of bile in her throat. The woman was sewing his skin back together.
“Oh,” she said, and quickly turned back to face the fire. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to see Morgan’s naked torso. As she had discovered a while ago, it was very pleasant to look at, but just now a good part of it was covered with bloodied bandages and she didn’t think she could bear to watch his shoulder being sewn back together. The deep red blood trickling from the wound down his arm... ugh! A shiver shot through her.
“No, no, Miss, you shouldn’t look. It is not at all pleasant,” Nestor said, giving her hand a comforting pat.
“I’m sorry. I suppose I should be stronger than that.”
“Not at all,” Nestor reassured her.
“It is almost done,” the older woman said. “Just one more...”
Nestor got up and retrieved a decanter of brandy from the dressing table next to the fireplace and poured out two glasses. “You’ll feel better with this inside of you,” he said, handing a glass to her and then, she supposed gave the other to Morgan.
The liquor burned all the way down her throat and pooled like liquid heat in her stomach, but it did make her feel better. At least, she stopped trembling.
Taking a deep breath, she asked, “I don’t understand. Why did those wolves attack like that? Where did they come from? Were they sent by your mother?”
Morgan was silent. Everyone in the room was. Adriana was about to turn around again when Morgan said quietly, “I don’t know. I hadn’t thought of that. I hope you’re wrong, but...”
“She wouldn’t have!” the older woman said.
“I suppose she could have,” Nestor replied, although he didn’t sound happy about it.
Morgan didn’t say anything more about it. Adriana heard him move about and then he came around and stood by the fire. He’d put on a fresh shirt, but his breeches were still the same ones he’d had on earlier. There were splatters of blood on them, but they didn’t seem torn.
“Are you legs all right?” Adriana asked, looking at the dark red stains.
Morgan looked down at his legs and bare feet. “Yes. Thank goodness they only went for my lower legs, which were safely encased in my boots.”
“The boots are destroyed, but your legs are whole,” Nestor put in.
Morgan gave the man a smile. “I can buy new boots. It’s harder to buy new legs.”
The man laughed and shook his head. He hoisted himself up off of the low stool. “Come along Cosmina, these two young people have some talking to do, I imagine.”
The older woman was gathering together the bloodied cloths and unused bandages, but she stopped at Nestor’s words. “You want me to leave them alone? A proper young lady and an unmarried gentleman? And you claim to have been the servant of, what was it, a viscount?”
Nestor straightened up to his full height. “A marquis.” But then he lost some of his stiffness and added, “But I suppose you are right. It wouldn’t be proper. They aren’t married yet.”
Adriana choked on the word “yet” and nearly started coughing, but Morgan didn’t say a word. He looked as if he were desperately trying to hide a smile.
“Miss Hayden can share my room with me tonight,” Cosmina said, meaningfully.
“Well, then, I suppose we should all retire for the night. Tomorrow is going to be a long and busy day,” Nestor said.
“And tomorrow night even more exciting for Morgan and Miss Hayden,” added Cosmina.
Adriana wasn’t quite certain she knew what the older woman was referring to, but felt as if she could fall asleep right then and there. A bed would be most welcome. “I would appreciate retiring, I’m still a little shaken,” Adriana admitted and stood up. As if to prove her exhaustion, her knees nearly gave out, and her head felt woozy as soon as she’d regained her feet.
Morgan reached out and caught her before she made a fool of herself by falling to the floor.
“Thank you,” she said, looking up into his deep black eyes. They were full of the one thing that could stop Adriana’s heart—love. There was a touch of concern there as well, but mostly, there was unabashed love.
Heat seared its way through her but before she could react, Cosmina had taken her arm from Morgan and began leading her from the room.
“Good night,” Morgan said softly as the door closed behind her.
Thirty Five
It was beautiful. It was even more beautiful and magical than it had been in her painting.
Morgan just stood staring at the stones before them, still some distance away. “Can you feel it? Can you feel the magic?” he asked, his voice quiet with awe.
And to Adriana’s amazement, she could. It practically hummed with magic. It was the oddest sensation she had ever experienced. A frission of excitement rolled through her.
Even though it was past nine in the evening, the sky was just turning a dusky rose. Purple clouds streaked across the horizon where the sun was slipping away. The power of the night was on the rise, growing stronger with each passing minute.
“This is it,” he said, looking around as they approached the outer circle of stones. He paused just outside.
Adriana could feel his indecisiveness as he hovered outside of the circle. He turned toward her, uncertainty wavering in his eyes and face. “What is it, Morgan?” Adriana asked, reaching out and taking hold of his hand.
“What if this isn’t right? What if I’m not the one? I am a man. Only women have ever been made high priestess. Only women have ever inherited this destiny. What if my mother is right, and this destiny belongs to Kat and not to me.”
&nb
sp; His hand grew cold and sweaty in her own, and for a moment his doubts assailed her too. But then she realized that it was just him, pushing his feelings into her.
She pushed them right back out again, saying firmly, “No, Morgan. Your mother was not right. This is your destiny. It doesn’t matter that you will be the first man to take on this role, it is yours. You were born to it.” She pushed her own emotions, her certainty that this was the right thing, into him giving his hand a squeeze of reassurance.
He relaxed, his hand growing warmer again. “Yes, you’re right.” He released his breath. “Merlin surely would have said something to me if I wasn’t the one, right?”
“Merlin?” Now Adriana was confused. Who was Merlin? Surely he didn’t mean the wizard from the stories of King Arthur.
But that was exactly whom he meant.
They sat outside the circle and laid out a blanket to eat the small supper that had been packed for them at Stoneside, Morgan’s new estate. As they did so, he related to her the whole story of how he met that famous wizard, and even recounted for her the prophecy he spoke. Adriana was truly in awe after that. “I can hardly believe you’ve met the most famous wizard in history!”
Morgan laughed, “Me neither! I must say, I have met the most amazing people on this journey to find my destiny—Nestor, Cosmina, Lord Byron and Mr. Kean, Jack the Lad—” He paused, “—and you.”
Adriana felt heat rise in her cheeks. Her mind shifted to his proposal the night before just before the wolves had attacked them. “And what about that woman?” she asked, knowing that the heat in her face had faded and been replaced by a deep cold.
But Morgan smiled and shook his head. “Which woman?”
“The one Kat said you had been seen kissing,” she said, looking directly into his eyes even though she didn’t want to look at him at all, the thought was so painful.
Morgan lost his smile. “I don’t regret meeting Sarah. She was the one who pointed out an obvious truth to me. She told me that I loved you, and she was right.” He shifted himself so that he sat cross legged in front of her. “Adriana, I won’t lie to you and tell you that I didn’t kiss her. I did. And as soon as I did, I knew it was wrong. She knew it too because she immediately asked me who it was that I was in love with. I told her all about you.” He gave a little laugh. “She was very understanding. Very kind.”
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